Setting a Straight Razor Bevel on a 1K Chosera EP Stone (Video)

I was asked to show the best way to set a bevel on a 1K stone, in particular on a Chosera 1″x6″ Edge Pro sized stone. FWIW, I do the majority of my razor honing on 1×6 stones because the 1″ width can easily accommodate most warping, frowning, and smiling blades better than a full sized 3″ width stone can. It’s a personal thing for me, as I have all the corresponding full sized stones as well, but for others, it is also a space and money thing.

Anyway, there are 3 basic strokes demonstrated in the video: Circles, Knife Strokes, and X-Strokes. There is a synopsis below the video. Enjoy!

Circles – are the most aggressive action, and are best for repairing chips or creating an initial bevel on a razor that is in need of serious restoration. I generally do sets of 20-25 circles per side with pressure. It may take many sets to do what needs to be done, but this is the stroke to get that work done. Once a bevel is established using circles, it will need to be refined with knife strokes on the same stone before moving to a finer stone.

Knife Strokes – are single sided back and forth strokes made without turning the blade over. It is “half an X stroke”. This stroke is best for light repair, or a quick refresh of a tired edge that has been maintained for a while. It uses less pressure than the circle stroke, and cleans up the messy edge the circles make. I generally do sets of 20-25 strokes per side. You shouldn’t need too many sets to accomplish your goal here if you’ve used circles, but if you start here, it may take several sets.

X-Strokes – are the usual method of alternating, single side honing strokes, and uses no pressure. This is the least invasive method, and the one that prepares the bevel/edge for the next grit level. I recommend at least 50-100 strokes to firmly establish the depth and consistency of the 1K stone. This will help prevent micro chipping at higher levels.

When to use each stroke?

If your razor is an Ebay special, or has serious restoration issues, then you will want to start with circles, clean up with knife strokes and then finish with the X-strokes – all on the 1K stone.

If you are maintaining a tired shaving edge with maintenance wear, I would begin with the X-Strokes, and if more aggression is needed, move to the Knife Stroke, and if it is really bad, resort to the Circles (and then work you way back up).